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SKOY Cloths Reusable Sponge Cloth {REVIEW}

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I had been seeing reviews for Skoy cloths as substitutes for paper towel here and there around the blogosphere, and my interest was definitely piqued since I’m all about decreasing the amount of disposable products I use and have switched over to using green cleaners. As I was awaiting a sample for my very own, I guess I was expecting some sort of fancy microfiber cloth cousin. That’s so far from the actual outcome!

I wasn’t sure what I was looking at when I opened the package. Skoy cloths are kind of weird little buggers, to be honest. They come flat and stiff, 8-inch squares of an unknown material that feels a little like a cross between boxboard and schoolroom brown paper towel.

To use a Skoy cloth, you first wet the stiff square, and it magically melts into a soft, flexible fabric-feeling material. Wring it out and you’re ready to absorb 15x its weight in messes.

Skoy can be tossed in the dishwasher OR washing machine and dryer to clean, and you can also rinse and microwave for 2 minutes to kill bacteria.

Why Use Skoy Cloths?

Skoy cloths are reusable and biodegradable. They meet the world of cleaning head on and fall in the middle of paper towels and cloth rags or microfiber cloths. “Real” rags or microfibers are not as biodegradable when eventually they become too nasty to use anymore. And paper towels can only be used once.

One Skoy cloth is supposed to be used as many times as 15 rolls of paper towels. That’s a lot of waste saved from the landfills, biodegradable or not! I’m thinking people are more likely to compost the Skoy, too, because you take more effort when you’ve reused something. It’s a tool, not a disposable piece of paper. It also takes fewer resources to make and transport one Skoy vs. 15 rolls of paper towel.

Skoy is basically an eco-friendly substitute for paper towel or sponges, and you could use one as a washcloth for dishes, too. I was confused as to why Skoy would be any better for the earth or my cleaning than an old rag, washcloth, or a microfiber cloth, so I emailed the company for help. I received the following reply:

I understand your question from an environmental stance. Both washcloths and Skoy are machine washable and dryer safe. Therefore they have approximately the same life.

For us the advantages are the following:

1. Skoy absorbs at least twice as much as a washcloth – 15x its own weight. When wiping down a counter or table, the Skoy actually dries as you wipe –leaving little to no streaks.

2. From a health perspective – Skoy dries much faster than a washcloth. Thus being wet longer, a washcloth will then grow bacteria at an easier and faster pace and then get that horrible smell.

3. From a environmental perspective – If your washcloth gets smellier faster, then you have to wash it more often.

4. A Skoy cloth in the kitchen looks much more fashionable with the colors and design.

My Experience: The Skoy Cloth Product Review

I have a confession: I’m in love with microfiber cloths. Perhaps because I already have a good option to avoid paper towel, I found it difficult to adapt to the Skoy, which acts differently than a towel in many respects. The hardest part was where to put them. You can’t stick them on the paper towel roll/stand, and you can’t just put them in the closet because they’re wet or stiff. I’m always so slow to integrate new things into my routine!

I did run a little absorbency test with a Skoy cloth vs. a microfiber that I cut in half and use as a washcloth. It is less absorbent than my other microfibers because I send it through the dryer. The washcloth is exactly twice as large as the Skoy, so two Skoy cloths vs. one microfiber towel was the fair game. Both of them did a marvelous job mopping up the ¼ cup water I poured on my counter. (What I do for my readers, you see. Do you know how odd it feels to purposely pour ¼ cup of water on your counter? My 18-month-old daughter was helping and looked at me with scorn, thinking, “And you tell ME not to pour my water on my high chair tray???”)

When I pushed to 3/8 cup of water, both the Skoy and the microfiber were saturated to the point of dripping. I would say they have approximately equal absorbency. One Skoy should be able to handle absorbing just less than a quarter cup of liquid. They do wring out really well and really easily, so tackling a puddle in a few passes would be simple if the sink was nearby. If I spill an entire glass of milk, though, I’m still running for a great big towel.

A drawback to microfiber is that because it is plastic it will never biodegrade. 🙁 That’s a great reason to go with Skoy! Luckily, I already have microfibers, and they last a really, really long time, so I shouldn’t need to buy more anytime soon. I still think (so sorry, dear Earth!) that I will use microfibers for dusting and mirrors, but I’m becoming more and more convinced that Skoy is a good thing as a dishrag and wipe-up-mess cloth.

Keep reading!

Pros and Cons of Skoy Cloths

Although Skoy cloths weren’t a great fit for me, I think there are some households that should surely bring some Skoy into their home (the name means “just for fun!”).

Here’s my honest breakdown of my experience trying out the Skoy, with the caveat that because I couldn’t get them into my routine well, I probably didn’t test them out as fully as I should have.

Pros:

Really eco-friendly. I admire the company’s commitment to being good to the earth, from their production at the factory from renewable raw materials (cotton and wood) to the fact that the Skoy cloth biodegrades completely in 5 weeks.

Absorbent. Sopped up just less than ¼ cup of water quite well. (But a microfiber cloth does just as much.)

Dries quickly. The advantage here is that fewer bacteria will grow vs. your kitchen sponge, which means less stinky rags and less total laundry.

Being able to microwave for sanitization instead of having to wash it every time you use it is a very simple, love-to-skip-steps option.

It’s actually worth reading through the comments on this post – People have great ideas for how they’re avoiding paper towels and how they would use Skoy. I’m becoming more and more convinced that they WILL work for my family! In fact, after writing the post I’ve been using the Skoy cloth as a dishrag, and I really like it. It really does nearly dry the high chair tray and table while you wipe, and they’re less expensive than most washcloths, especially a fancy microfiber one at $5-8. PLUS my microfibers have been losing their absorbency far too much, even though I’m careful washing them.

Cons:

Where to store? They dry in whatever shape you hang them in, so you can’t really store flat for reuse like a towel, and they don’t have a roll like my paper towel. I don’t want to just use it once to wipe up a spill on the floor and then wash it. I’m sure you just need a system, but I wasn’t able to make that system work well.

Have to get wet first – my poor, dry hands would like to avoid any more “getting wet” than absolutely necessary.

The flower print. It’s decidedly girly.

You can designate certain colors for certain jobs if you’re squeamish about using a cloth on your table that was on the toilet last week. However, if you follow Skoy’s recommendations and downgrade the cloth from counter to floors to outside as it gets used more and becomes lower in quality, how do you keep the colors straight?

Comes out of the dishwasher wet, so you still have to find a place to hang it to dry.

Too small. I had trouble cleaning my tiny bathroom floor with just one Skoy cloth. If I’m going to use something that I can’t throw away, I need to use just one for a job.

Where to Find Skoy Cloths

You can buy Skoy cloths at Amazon for typically much less than a high quality microfiber cloth at an upscale store, although if you buy a package in the automotive section of a discount store like Sam’s Club, they’re about the same as Skoy. Holey socks, spent towels and discarded sweatshirts are free for your rag bag, to keep it in perspective.

Disclosure: Skoy provided samples for review, but didn’t compensate me in any way, nor was I obligated to write a positive review. (See this one if you don’t believe me.) Amazon will pay a small percentage if you purchase through my site using a link. I’d use Swagbucks if I were you! See my full advertising disclosure here.

About Katie Kimball @ Kitchen Stewardship

I’m a Catholic wife and mother of four who wants the best of nutrition and living for her family. I believe that God calls us to be good stewards of all His gifts as we work to feed our families: time, finances, the good green earth, and of course, our healthy bodies. I'm the founder and boss lady here at Kitchen Stewardship -- welcome aboard!

87 Bites of Conversation So Far

I have brought my paper towel use down to almost nothing with squares cut from old tshirts, but I’m still using a sponge for dishwashing and wiping counters. It would be great to see if these could replace my sponge!

I think they sound interesting. I have a basket of old rags above my dryer, so storage wouldn’t be a problem. I personally like the flower :o) .-= Cara @ Health Home and Happiness´s last blog ..Olive Oil Mayonnaise =-.

These would help me cut down on those quick wipes of the counter to just get up water spills… nothing dirty, just what I’d typically grab a paper towel to swipe up.

What I’m doing now — I bought the select-a-size roll of paper towels, so I can just use a half sheet when needed. I admit, we’re pretty paper towel heavy at our house! So these cloths would be great. 🙂

I’m interested to see if they could work for reusable ‘mop’ heads (to try to put in the disposable Swiffer type) – I need a good, quick solution to needing to mop daily but getting to it but monthly 🙂 I subscribe I learned it is two ladies from California, even though it is a Sweedish word. We use all washable napkins and rags for cleaning, but still keep some paper towels around for more construction type projects (nail glue) The Monday Mission I’ve been trying to do lately is soaking my oats (for our oatmeal) – which makes me like them more! (otherwise I’m not the biggest fan) so 5 🙂 thanks again!

If I had SKOY I could stop using the roll of paper towels I go through in about 4 days and I could feel less guilty about spending our already tight budget on waste.

I learned SKOY is made in Europe and not China! A huge plus for me meaning it was most likely made with fair labor and it will not contain any hidden substance to kill us another plus. Plus it is made from cotton and wood based cellulose pulp, super eco-friendly!

I subscribed to your email.

I want to decrease my paper towel consumption completely and I am just to confused as to where to start or how to do it. What product is right, or is this brand better than this one.

Finally my all time favorite recipe, besides all your legume post which have helped me greatly, would have to be your Tuscan Bean soup.

At this point, I’m down to using paper towels for patting greasy things like bacon or sausage and a few other miscellaneous tasks. I received some cloth diapers when my son was born, but they’re the kind you buy in the stores (i.e. the kind that have zero absorbency). They do, however, make great washcloths when cut into quarters! I use those as ugly cloth napkins (prettier replacements coming soon), toddler-face-wiping cloths, and for some things I used to use paper towels for. I’m trying not to use sponges, but I’m having a harder time with that. I already have too many cloths hanging over my cabinet handles to dry, and washcloths often leave my table wet unless I dirty up two of them. I’m hoping Skoy would work for a sponge-substitute. Oh, and your Monday Missions are my favorite part of your site. If I had to pick a favorite, I’d say the yogurt. This is quite the long comment for what I think is three entries 🙂 Thanks for the honest review!

I do not use paper towels much at all. My mom always discouraged their abundant use in my childhood, and I have further encouraged my children in the use of the washable rag. I like the microfiber rags I have and would like to try these. Thanks!

1) what I would do would be to use it for cleaning messes that the kids make. Daily 🙂 2) apparently they’re great for cleaning golfclubs, though I don’t play. 3) already subscribe and LOVE your blog. 4) one way we decrease our disposables is by cloth diapering, breastfeeding, and making our own baby food. We also use a kitchen cloth/rag, but don’t have a good system for the dirty ones and so then we just have a gross one hanging there that I don’t use till the next laundry. Not great…

Hi! I just purchased my first pack of Skoy cloths directly from their website a couple weeks ago after reading a review for them in the fakeplasticfish.com blog (but would still love to be entered in the giveaway 🙂 )

The main advantage of Skoy over microfiber cloths, from an environmental standpoint, is that they do not contain any plastic (which just breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces of plastic, but never biodegrades). As microfiber cloths are all made from plastic polymers they, sadly, don’t pass that environmental test. Full disclosure: I say this as a microfiber owner and user. I bought the micro cloths because they do a better job than rags for attracting dust, but now that I am aware of their material composition I won’t be purchasing any more once these wear out.

It’s important to me to reduce disposables, but also (since eventually everything will be disposed of) to chose materials that naturally decompose and that are non-toxic in the manufacturing stage.

I checked out the skoy site, and although they don’t have plain skoy, they do have some other patterns, such as winter images and “inspirational” words. Plain would be nice, I agree.

I dry my skoy, which I use primarily for dishwashing (replaced my Twist sponges) and counter wiping, by folding it in half and placing it above my sink on a suction cup soap dish thingy with slits for better air circulation. I also sometimes just drape it over the faucet.

I learned about your review because I subscribe to your newsletters through email and love your concept of kitchen stewardship. Thank you!

At this point I only use paper towels for drying meat or fish after rinsing it/before cooking it and the very random spill on the floor (I don’t have kids which helps with fewer spills, and use the skoy for countertop spills). I use dish towels for hands/dishes. I use a plastic mop (last plastic mop I buy) for the floors. I am using old sponges for other house cleaning, but when they give out and I have some worn skoys, they will be downgraded. I just store them separately and can tell if they are house cleaning ones because they looked bad enough to downgrade.

I usually crochet my dishrags, but they can be bulky and they definitely take longer to dry. I would be very interested in giving them a try. I have 7 kids and seems like I am in the kitchen constantly and anything that will make things “easier” would be a blessing. 🙂

1)I would love to try these for toddler messes in the kitchen. I think they would clean the kids paint up well. 2) I subscribe 3) Like it that it is just absorbent, not cleaner filled 4) We are beginning our journey with cloth diapers soon and I will begin the new year making our own yogurt. A baby step, I know.

Interesting concept. I still think I’m going to use my birdseye cotton to make dish towels and rags to use instead. I also use old wash cloths in my kitchen. I use them 2 – 3 times then toss them in the wash…depending on what I used them for, anyway. Regular dish towels and sponges make up the rest of my arsenal. I don’t know…the “stiff” part really turns me away because I don’t have a clue where I’d store MORE stuff. I was going to use my snap press to make my “paper” towels so I could actually roll them up and store them easily. I had that idea over a year ago so we’ll see if I ever get around to doing it…. .-= Kate´s last blog ..God Working in My Life =-.

I use cloth kitchen towels instead of paper towels but absorbency is always an issue. I would love the try the Skoy cloths! .-= Heather´s last blog ..Preparing Our Hearts and Homes for Christmas, Part 5, Decking the Halls =-.

Skoy would make a good travel washcloth/napkin in place of my microfiber towel or paper towels. After using it in foreign bathrooms where washcloths aren’t provided, rinse and wring it out and store it in your bag, inside a plastic ziplock where it’s instantly ready to wipe sticky fingers or help wash your body. .-= Jo Reimer´s last blog ..Sewing Wild Oats =-.

1. I read about these a while back and love them. I just couldn’t justify the price at the time because, well, to be honest, I don’t use papertowels that often anyway. I don’t like the waste. I’d love to be able to use these, though, for everyday cleanups.

2. I learned that they compost really quickly. Holy cow!

3. I subscribe.

4. I already don’t use papertowels most times. And I buy things in bulk so there’s less individual packaging.

1)I would like to compare the Skoy to the Scott Scrub Cloths I already use.

2) I already subscribe.

4)The Scott brand “rinse & reuse” towels are very durable. I just keep them in the drawer with my other dishtowels and use them for spills etc. instead of always grabbing a paper towel. I keep a small wire trash basket in the pantry to contain all the used kitchen towels until I do the laundry. These blue reusable towels have held up for countless washes and last for a year or more. One package of 6 runs about $1.50 here in Oklahoma. The next big hurdle is creating a habit for the rest of the family to choose these over the paper towels. Since I keep them in the drawer it can be a case of “out of sight – out of mind”. I tried keeping the Scott towels in a small basket on the counter next to the paper towels. But as long as the roll of paper is there – that’s what gets grabbed first. I think if I made the reusables the easy to find option then we’d have a better reduction of our paper towel usage. [think I’ll go work on that right now].

1. I would put it out for my husband to use and my boys, they are much more apt to grab a paper towel for spills. 2. I learned “It dries quickly, so it is not a breeding ground for bacteria.” 3. I subscribe. 4. I do not buy papertowels as often and I try to suggest a washrag if I see my boys with a spill.

Hi there – This is definitely not the right “post” for my question but I wasn’t sure where you might see it:

I loved your post at ProBlogger!

I was a little confused though by the section on making sure you link back to memes.

You talk about linking back to the principal carnival host even when participating in a Mr. Linky – type round up on another blog. How does that work? Do you have any examples? I’m not sure I’ve seen people remembering to do that with Mr. Linky and wanted to know if it was protocol.

I did reply on Twitter but it took a day or so. To clarify – linking back to the host is definitely protocol with a Mr. Linky roundup. Many blog authors make that explicit in writing when they post a carnival. The “link-love” is a perk for them for the work of hosting. The only time I don’t link back is the giveaway linky round-ups.

You can click on just about any recipe at this site to see an example of how I link back – always right at the end of the post. Some people just make a text link, for example for Works for Me Wednesday, that just says “it works for me!” linking back to the host. As long as you link back somehow, you’re being polite.

I used lots of terry cloth “rags” to take the place of most uses for paper towels. I’m still trying to train my husband to use them. This might work better for him. My laundry room is right next to the kitchen so I could easily clip them to dry. I’d love to try them.

1. I use paper towels to clean around toilets and the bathroom floors, disposing of the germs. I would love to try a Skoy cloth for this, as I always feel guilty using so much paper as well as feeling sick about the expense. 2. Putting in the microwave to disinfect sounds great, as well as throwing it in the washer. 3. I subscribe! 🙂 4. Last year we switched to cloth napkins and it has saved us $$ as well as saving paper. I also keep a coffee cup at work so I don’t have to use disposable. I do this so as not to waste my boss’s money. Also there is less waste and I don’t worry about the chemicals used in the cup material.

Oh snap, Katie – I forgot to put everything in one comment. If that DQs me, so be it. :>)

2. I learned from the Skoy website (OK and from your review) that they are made of cotton and wood cellulose. I had no idea! 3.I do subscribe 4.I’m planning to make fabric bags for wrapping next year using clearance Christmas fabric 6.Fave MM – using vinegar and peroxide to kill bad stuff 7.I follow you on twitter, but I’m having trouble with the re-tweet button right now. Or our internet connection. I’ll keep trying. .-= Lenetta @ Nettacow´s last blog ..Holy Amazon Sales! =-.

I will definitely use them to help clean spills in the kitchen. I already subscribe to your blog via email. checked out the website and learned they are european made and use water based colors and inks. thanks for the chance to win

1. The past 4 months I have made a conscious effort to cut down on my paper towel use. I do toss them in my compost unless they are greasy, so I don’t feel as guilty using them, but I think the Skoy would even be better for wiping the counters and floor messes. I am interested in trying them. 2.I checked the Skoy website and was impressed with the biodegradable feature the most. My only concern is how far they have to travel to get to the U.S. I see the company is in California but European made…. 3.I already subscribe to your email updates and love all your thoughts and was really pleased with this month’s reduce waste ideas! Keep up the good work! 4. In our home I have done away with paper plates and plastic ANYTHING, but especially water bottles. As mentioned above, I rarely use paper towels and use old tshirts for wipe ups and small hand towels for napkins. I love the towels for napkin use because they can be used several times before washing. I have even gone as far as using cloth wipes for diaper changing and cloth wipes for use instead of toilet paper…this takes some getting use to but not as bad as it sounds. Again a good use for old tshirts and flannel receiving blankets cut into squares. 5. I don’t have a favorite recipe, all are great and can’t choose just one. 6. I will retweet this entry. 7. I stumbled this too. Sorry this is so long. Happy Holidays!

I think these sound like a good idea. I’d start using them on the counter for small spills and for wiping up the table. I’ve just started reading but I like the Mission to use less disposables. Will definitely be working on that in the new year.

1. I don’t use that many paper towels, but we’ve been using more than we’d like lately; sometimes we use them to clean up greasy messes that a rag won’t do. I’d be curious to try them out for wiping up.

2. Skoy are European-made, so they are not one of the oh-too-many things that are made in China

3. I already subscribe

4. We try to use a lot of reusables. I’ve collected many cloth napkins over the years, so we always use cloth napkins with regular dinner (usually mismatched) and nice cloth napkins for parties. We use cloth diapers. We almost never use paper plates (unless it’s a huge party); we use china for big family gatherings (my mother gave us some that had been in the family so we have enough). Then, we compost everything we can that isn’t reusable (like paper towels). .-= Rebecca´s last blog ..Tuesday Twister – Christmas Bread – Lacto-Fermented Red Cabbage =-.

(#3) While I have switched to reusables for sandwiches, snacks and water bottles, I have had a nagging feeling that I have not conquered the convenient paper towel. Therefore, (#1) if I won the giveaway, I would try my very hardest to implement using SKOY in place of paper towels and sponges. I find it hard to change, too, but I can do it when I am determined!

Laurie, I don’t know if you’ll see this comment, so I’m reproducing it for you: Your family sounds like my ex-paper-towel loving family! I first discovered cloth unpaper towels as a way to cut expenses. My husband was VERY skeptical until he started using the them. Now we don’t use paper towels or paper napkins. We also came up with a product that allows quick dispensing of the cloth unpaper towels right from the counter where our paper towel used to stand. 🙂 No ironing. No folding. They go straight from the dryer into the specially designed “towel house.”

We didn’t even have to change our routine, except for the “not-throwing-it-in-the-trash part!” I just put a small, narrow bathroom sized trash can underneath our sink to take the dirties. Once a day, as part of our routine clean-up, we just run our unpaper towels to the laundry. Voila!

1. I will use the skoy cloths to wash dishes and clean my counters, maybe try it out to clean the bathroom (I currently do paper towels for that mess). 2. I just subscribed via email. 3. I use cloth diapers.

1. I would use Skoy mainly for cleaning to replace my paper towel usage. 2.Is a clorine free product 3. I subscribe via email 4. I have decreased the use of paper plates in my household. I keep a package on hand but it took my husband and I over a year to finish our last package of 40 plates 5.No blog! 🙂 6.Favorite Monday Mission: Dishwasher Tetris – I think it was Monday Mission 7. I ReTweeted! That’s all!

1. I would like to try the Skoy cloths to use in place of my washcloths in the kitchen. I like how absorbent they are would like to see how they would work for me in the kitchen.

2. I learned that some people use their Skoy cloth for up to a year.

3. I am a subscriber.

4. I have not bought paper towels in more than 6 months. I use all rags, washcloths, microfiber towels around the house. I have realized that if I have paper towels around then I will use them, but if I don’t keep them in the house I really don’t have a need for them. I think everyone should work to buy and use fewer paper towels, it really is not as hard as you might think.

5. My favorite recipe is the One-Bowl Pumpkin muffins with the healthier upgrades. Yummy! And nice to know that they are pretty good for you too! 🙂

1- would love to replace those stinky rags 2-You can throw them in the washer 3- I get your email 4-I have just started cloth diapering and use those except for at night. 5-My fav. mon. mission is still the peroxide and vinegar solution

To decrease disposables: I don’t buy disposable dishes, cups, utensils, etc. unless I really have to. I use microfiber cloths and other cloths for cleaning, etc. We also use cloth diapers and cloth wipes. .-= Laura V.´s last blog ..My little Houdini! =-.

I’d love to try these on messy faces. I already subscribe. I rarely use paper towel, and I reuse or recycle all plastic and glass food containers. I love your homemade rice-a-roni recipe. Sorry I don’t have a website or blog, and I don’t twitter. (I don’t even have a cell phone anymore.)

Please remember that I’m just a gal who reads a lot and spends way too much time in her kitchen. I’m not a doctor, nurse, scientist, or even a real chef, and certainly the FDA hasn't evaluated anything on this blog. Any products mentioned are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Please talk to your health professional (or at least your spouse) before doing anything you might think is questionable. Trust your own judgment…I can’t be liable for problems that occur from bad decisions you make based on content found here.

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